The American public rejected junk pop music last night in a stunning referendum. The American Music Awards scored their lowest rating ever– a 3.4–and lost to everything else that was playing on television. Apparently, even tweens couldn’t make Justin Bieber a hit, let alone the rest of the motley crew that showed up for this second tier awards bonanza.

The ratings were twenty percent lower than last year. And they reflect the fact that aside from Stevie Wonder’s tribute to Dick Clark with two songs, there was nothing for a normal person to watch on that show. Instead it was a celebration of bubblegum pop and bad acts from long ago like M.C. Hammer.

This response should give radio and record labels something to chew on. These young throwaway performers get a lot of tabloid attention, but they aren’t necessarily musicians who people over 21 want to watch or listen to. The constant spectacle of noise and fireworks, special effects and gyrating dancers is a turn off. The AMAs were simply a showcase for style over substance– and they were rejected.

Hopefully the Grammy Awards will include a variety of acts and ages– from Adele to Aerosmith to Janelle Monae and, of course, Justin Timberlake. Also, the AMAs were suspiciously devoid of Gotye and his best single of the year, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” as well as boy band phenom One Direction. But the Grammys also attract a wider following because they feature a little of everything, always mixed and matched by Ken Ehrlich (following the late Pierre Cossette’s lead) into interesting combinations.

Author

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.

My daughter teaches miiddle school choir in south haven mi so I have an opinion here…todays music comes from mass produced talent shows which are devoid of Real Talent at all! Real Talent rises on its own merit from the streets, pubs, garages aand seedy lounges in the world! We need to stop the americas got talent american idol talent crap shows and let the real talent rise to the top on there own. that’s when real talent will come again. Commercialism of any money making deal is always short lived!

I agree with Char who stated Just not supporting Hollywood or celebrities anymore. They’re too political and I’m not wasting my money or time on them. After this last election cycle I don’t forget the choices these sock puppets made so I will now vote with my wallet.

They need to turn it into a review of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. That’s what I grew up on so they might pick up some of the older viewers. It’s also about all my kids want to listen to, so they might be surprised at the teen and 20 something draw. But they won’t get many viewers from the pre-pubescent girl audience, which is pretty much what they’re drawing now. Give it a try – can you really do any worse than a 3.4?

How can this review not mention the standing ovation, jaw-dropping performance of P!nk that stopped the show?. A performance that surprized and challenged that made the near-impossible look easy. With a live vocal as well? In a class of her own.

It’s all a fraud. Most of these pop stars have rich people backing them who buy the records themselves to get up in the charts to make it seem like people are buying their albums. Then they get put on disney and other places and then kids like them and buy the albums. I like real bands who play music. Foo Fighters, Built to Spill, Nirvana, Jimmy Hendrix, etc… you know people who don’t lip sync and can play music and sing at the same time.

Music died in 1990. It’s refreshing that someone is noticing. There are no true creative, talented pop musicians out there. Just garbage from idiots like Bieber, Gaga, and Madonna. It’s all a big gut roll, just like the cinematic waste oozing out of Hollywood these days. No good movies, no good music. Just crap for the cellphone punchers who don’t have a clue – you know, the Obama voters..

Music hasn’t been this bad since the mid-70’s. Most performerscould suck the chrome off of a trailor hitch where the majority of their fan base call home. There once was real talent, direction after Beatlemania went away and for a short while there was real talent. Talent turned to the money train, sophisticated instruments became gold chains and even country sounded like geese farts on a muggy day as they tried to enter the talentless people by playing sucko rock with a fiddle. Waylon asked “Are You Sure Hank Done it this way” to be answered “nuh-uh”. Now they all wish to be “niggaz” and dress like fags and fag hags, lil’ kids outsell adults and If I don’t want to hear it I sure as hell don’t wanna look at it either.This is not talent, or progress-it’s sad and designed to piss me off. On their road to be individuals they all act and sound the same, like vomit hitting a cheap pair of shoes.

To be honest, I only tuned into the last 10 minutes or so to catch PSY; at least he has fun with his music. I know there’s better artists out there than the ones they present awards to, but where are they? They keep recycling and “awarding” the same crappy singers every year…

There weren’t enough homos, lesbos, wierdos and kooks to keep me entertained. Next year enlist Jerry Springer and lets get salacious. TV sucks worse every day. Just keep trying to force your immoral and perverted filth on us and we will just turn you off.

It is pretty pathetic what they try to pass off as talent and music these days. Goofy outfits, goofy hair and so called performers who are genuinely dumb to go along with the typical ‘me me me’ doesn’t appeal to many past middle school.
I guess there is hope for America’s youth after all if they’re beginning to reject the garbage media is tossing out.

Who wants to watch hoodies, hooders, and effeminate white-trash boys? Try just 36 measures of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, see the old videos of said song: performers honoured their audiences with talent and distinguished, elegant postures and presentation.

Pop music today is AIMED at idiot 14 year old girls whose priorities are cute boys, going to the mall, and talking on their cell phones for hours a day, and OMG Kaitlyn is SUCH a bitchhhh!!! This show celebrates that music. People with actual taste have no interest in it.

“Justin Bieber looks like Vanilla Ices sister” Great line lol. Listen my 9 year old even thinks Justin Bieber is a dork and his music is terrible. Music has gone steadily downhill for 30 years from its peak in the late 60s and early 70s. The gifted singer/songwriter is hard to find.

Why would anybody watch an award show of any sort? It’s mind numbingly boring and nothing but an excuse for whatever industry is spotlighted to masterbate on television. I honestly don’t care and I’m sure as hell not wasting my time watching. If I’m interested in the results, they are posted online and I’ll check them in the morning.

Justin is so cute! How long will he be cute? I guess we will all be forced to “stay tuned” until he doesn’t matter anymore. It’s OK, it happens to ALL the cute boys, even the ones with talent. Beiber was HOT at 16 – will he be a serious, contributing performer at 40? Time will tell, and even Justin can’t escape that.

Loud and a lot of poor taste in music no dout was a tinny madona look a like Usher and steve wonder great but the rest especially Beiber were terrible I and my girl watched in and out waiting for something decent but it was bad

This is the reason these award ceremonies are just not attracting viewers anymore. When a crass little 16 year, makes unintelligent political statements to people he wants to have buy his music the awards become nothing more than music industry telling a captive audience their person views.. Who Cares !!. Many of these people do not share in the fringe views of entertainers. The above title of the article says it all

The music “scene” is just that, a “scene”. One reminiscent of a tragic automobile accident. One where everyone slows down to gawk at the horrific tableau, only to speed away moments later.

A few conversations discuss various wardrobe malfunctions, drug, and sex scandals and soon it is all forgotten.

Can you remember Jive Bunny And The Mixmasters, The West Coast Rap All Stars, and Brother Beyond? How about The Venga Boys, or Tal Bachman?

Yeah, the only thing people like Bieber have going on is they’re photogenic, squeaky clean with just a hint of scandal. It keeps people coming back looking for the inevitable fall from grace, and the schadenfreude that follows.

Is it just me or is Justin Bieber turning out to be rather unattractive as he grows up? He’s certainly not the same fresh faced boy of a couple of years ago. Sometimes cute kids turn out to be not so cute adults.

Why aren’t you on Facebook anymore?

Love your column – have been reading since the Fox days – like 10 to 11 years ago.

So, Justin Bieber is the BEST they can do. That is very sad indeed.
I give this smart mouthed kid another two years before he discovers that his whole career was hype and he never had any real talent at all.

The show was horrible. Turned it off after Brat Bieber in strange pants thanked his haters. Kept switching back to awful music. Finally stopped switching back and watched the Mentalist so my adult mind could think.

Dead on review. It was a trashy show.
Lip syncing and incessant flailing coreographics.
Too much stupid rap/hip hop dance trash.
I commented to my wife that even Brittany spears has more soul than a lot of the crap that they put on.
I hope that the mainstream record labels eat shit,

Garbage in…garbage out! Taylor Swift had about the best performance last night (but she is totally overexposed right now!) and Linkin Park was okay…but other than that…unwatchable is right! What a waste…

Lame, like everything else in the entertainment industry. Honestly, with all the sappy, manipulative, drivel that these cheeseballs spew forth every year, it’s no surprise the majority of the country is nothing but a bunch of self-centered, vacuous, spoiled, superificial dingbats. No wonder Obama was able to get himself reelected.

While I wouldn’t bash the performance of M.C. Hammer together with Psy (because it was just plain fun) I have to agree with the majority of this article. Nobody over 30 is really interested in seeing Chris Brown rip his shirt off to show his tats while running through the audience singing a disposable, nonsense club anthem. The list of “winners” reads like the short list of corporate hype products and the inclusion of a category for glorified DJ’s and Garage Band software whiz kids called “EMusic” (or whatever) is just sad. As James Brown pointed out before his death “pick up a guitar and sing”. His point being “don’t sample my music to climb the charts”. Watching Taylor Swift get one award after another for her “country” music is also a joke.